Friends of Yalding Organic Gardens

Three further working party sessions of about two hours, have been planned for Saturday the 31st 10:00 to 12:00, Sunday the 1st April 10:00 to 12:00 and Wednesday the 4th April 15:00 to 17:00.

Refreshments will be provided; as will tools – but please take your own gardening gloves.

If you are interested in volunteering and haven’t done so already, please let us have your contact details via this link and we will pass them on to Martin. Alternatively, you can of course just turn-up at any of the scheduled working parties.

We have received the following note from volunteer coordinator, Martin Johnson…

“…We have fifty-one volunteers so far. As most of you already know, we will be meeting at the garden at 10 on Saturday, 24th March. We expect to finish by 1pm, although anyone keen to continue can be accommodated. The tasks will be various, but will include cutting, mowing, weeding and clearing: in fact mostly just getting the garden presentable at the moment. Refreshments will be provided, as will tools, but you may prefer to bring your own garden gloves.

I am aware that the Yalding Garden Society has its Spring Show in the afternoon and that some of you will need to be there for at least some of the morning. However, if you can spare any time, please drop in and we will find you something to do. We will be working under three team leaders, with Paul in overall control, so help and advice will be available where needed. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Saturday for our first working party of what we hope will be a new era for the Yalding Organic Garden!…”

If you are interested in volunteering and haven’t done so already, please let us have your contact details via this link and we will pass them on to Martin. Alternatively, you can of course just turn-up on Saturday.

A big “thank-you” to all the prospective volunteers who turned-up at the Gardens today, to show their support and get a taste of the gardening tasks that lay before them.

Around 30 people were shown-around the site by Mary and Nick; assessing the effects of the winter and earmarking specific areas and jobs for attention, as resources permit – followed by (much needed) warming drinks and a general discussion on the forthcoming working-party meet on Saturday 24th March, at 10am. (Further details will follow)

Grateful thanks also to Martin Johnson for his sterling efforts in raising such a large contingent of volunteers from Yalding itself – and indeed for arranging and running the entire volunteer effort. Further thanks to Gail Johnson and Mary Smith, for the refreshments; and Mary Smith (again) and Nick Robinson, for their guiding input.

These pictures are also in our flickr Group. Either follow this link, or click the flickr button in the right-hand column.

We have recently been talking with some  interested parties; exploring a number of suggestions and ideas towards securing the Gardens’ future in the longer-term.

More immediately however; we have been asked to assist in getting-together a group of volunteers to assist the current tenants with on-going garden upkeep and maintenance, to ensure that the Gardens remain in the superb condition they were in, prior to closure.

If you are able to spare a couple of hours to join one of the weekly working-groups on a fairly regular basis, we would love to hear from you. No payment can be offered, of course; but there will certainly be good and like-minded company and deeply-rewarding work, helping to maintain these magnificent and truly unique gardens. Please register your interest, here.